Give birth in the USA can be even cheaper than in a good maternity hospital in Moscow. But expectant mothers go to America to give birth in order to basically ensure a good future for the child. The United States has the thirteenth amendment to the Constitution, according to which citizenship can be obtained by "land law". This means that a child born in the territory of the United States of America is a citizen of that country. There is no need to renounce Russian citizenship either. According to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, a child, one or both of whose parents are citizens of Russia, is also considered a citizen of the Russian Federation.
The only thing that stops many couples is the lack of information and the fear of trusting dubious firms offering their services to organize childbirth in the United States for fabulous money. Fortunately, you can do everything yourself and even much cheaper. This is not as complicated a procedure as it seems. In addition, going to give birth in the United States is completely legal. It is not a crime for a child to acquire US citizenship, and parents do notyou need to hide the true purpose of the trip.
Key Benefits
Almost always, the main purpose of medical tourism in the US is to have a baby in order to obtain US citizenship. At the same time, obtaining citizenship by a child gives practically no privileges to parents. Only after the age of 21 can a citizen take relatives to the United States of America on a family reunification visa. Until that moment, parents will not even receive an American visa under a simplified procedure. For a child, American citizenship really does a lot. You can live and study in the States (the cost of education is incomparable to the money paid by foreign students), do not waste time and money on obtaining visas to many countries of the world and file petitions for the emigration of family members.
Medicine in the United States
There are other benefits too. Medicine in the United States (according to the reviews of many women who gave birth in Miami, California and Los Angeles) is not comparable to Russian. The sex of the child can be found out already at the tenth week, and starting from the twentieth week, on a 4D ultrasound, you can see the facial features of the future baby. During childbirth, all information is displayed on the screen: the baby's heartbeat, the frequency and duration of contractions.
The conditions in the hospital are good. The ward has a place for a husband and a box for a newborn, a toilet and a bathroom, three meals a day by prior order. There are hospitals and maternity hospitals. A maternity hospital in the USA is a private small hospital that is suitable for childbirth without complications. In the event of a force majeure situation, the woman in labor will be takento the nearest hospital, for which an additional bill will be issued.
I like Russian women who decide to give birth in the States, and the high responsibility of doctors. Doctors in US clinics are afraid of losing their license. Therefore, they are very attentive to the he alth and safety of patients.
Miami births are also popular because of the favorable climate. This is especially liked by women whose pregnancy fell on a cold winter. In Russia, a similar climate is only in Sochi or Gelendzhik, but there are no modern perinatal centers.
Expectant mothers who decide to fly to the US for childbirth choose safety. No need to worry that the child will be confused or stolen. Immediately after the birth, both the mother and the newborn are put on special bracelets with a bar code. The child is handed over only after scanning the code, they are also released from the hospital after the same procedure. Before giving birth, the expectant mother is given a sheet of questions that is forbidden to be shown to her husband. The questions concern whether the woman feels safe. This is necessary to identify women experiencing domestic violence.
You can freely shoot during childbirth. The presence of a husband, family or friends is allowed. It is possible to save stem cells for the future or circumcise the boy the next day after birth. Circumcision in the United States is done for hygiene purposes by 50% of families. It does not depend on religion. The wound heals completely before the umbilical cord, so the baby won't even remember it.
Benefits of allegiance
Otherthe benefits relate to what gives the child American citizenship. In the future, an American citizen will be able to enjoy the right to visa-free entry to almost all countries of the world. Where a visa is not required for US citizens, you can enter with an American passport, and in those states that have a visa-free regime with Russia, with a Russian one.
In addition, the child will have the right to enjoy the social security of both countries. This is free medicine, education and so on. You can also receive a state pension in Russia and in the USA. If a son is born, he can choose whether he wants to serve in the army. In the Russian army, a US citizen can absolutely legally not serve, but in the US one month under the contract is enough.
In America there is a system of unsecured loans. As an adult, a US citizen can only receive loans on the basis of being a citizen. With a good credit history, there are excellent opportunities to start a business or achieve other goals that require money to start an independent life.
An American citizen can get a free or low-cost education. For Americans, there are many prestigious universities and colleges.
Some cons of the trip
There are, of course, downsides. For most couples, this is the cost of giving birth in the US. Natural childbirth costs about 8-10 thousand dollars for hospital medical services, 2-4 thousand dollars for pain relief, 5 thousand dollars for a doctor. If you need to do a cesarean, then you need to prepare about 15 thousand dollars in addition. This is judging by the reviews ofchildbirth in California. In general, you can meet a smaller amount.
Reviews about childbirth in Miami indicate slightly different numbers: about 10 thousand dollars - the cost of staying in the hospital, pediatrician, anesthesia, 9 thousand dollars - rent for 4.5 months, about 3 thousand dollars - tickets Moscow - Miami for two adults and one child, 1.5 thousand dollars - renting a car for 4.5 months, no more than 1 thousand - paperwork for the child. Food, shopping and entertainment are commensurate with the cost of living in Moscow.
Other disadvantages are not so significant. First, a doctor in the US cannot be called at any time of the day or night. Physicians have the right to privacy. On weekends and after the end of the working day, no one answers the phone, but the doctor will call back at a convenient time for him. Many specialists are on duty only on certain days, so if childbirth begins on another day, the woman will be taken to the duty team. They are admitted to the hospital only when the water has broken or the contractions are going on every five minutes. You cannot go to the hospital in advance.
There are certain disadvantages with taxation. In some cases, a citizen is required to pay taxes to the treasury of the United States, even if he does not actually live there. This is necessary with an annual income of more than 105 thousand dollars. Only a small number of Americans earn more, so this rate is usually not a problem at all.
Where is it better to give birth in America
When it comes time to plan a trip and take tickets to the US, expectant mothers think about which city to give birth in. The level of medical service in America is high in all states, so it's all about preference. In Utah, for example, prices are relatively low, local doctors prefer natural childbirth (in some clinics, doctors set the day of birth and stimulate the process), and the seasons coincide with Central European ones.
In New York, enterprising Russian women generally take out insurance and indicate that they earn less than the subsistence level. In this case, a pregnant woman cannot be denied free delivery support. How legal is it? If you do not violate immigration laws, then you can give birth for free without any problems and sanctions in the future.
If you want to count on a Russian-speaking doctor in America, it is better to choose the places of residence of the Russian diaspora. These are Los Angeles (California), Chicago (Illinois), Miami (Florida), New York (New York).
How hard is it to get a visa
Obtaining a US visa for a pregnant woman is one of the biggest issues when planning a trip. It is believed that it is very difficult for a future mother to obtain documents. In fact, the migration officer is only interested in one question - whether a person is a potential immigrant (possibly illegal) or has a lot to do with Russia. If the applicant works in a prestigious position with a good salary, has his own business and property, bank accounts, then there will be no problems with obtaining a visa. The crisis in the US has not ended, so the country is interested in the arrival of people who will spend money for the good of America.
The desire to have a baby in the US is also not a problem, but even an advantage. A woman will come for several months, and all this time she will pay for housing, medicine in the United States, buy groceries - all this will remain in the US economy. Obtaining citizenship by a child born in the United States is not a crime or potentially illegal act. It regulates the most important law of the country. A patriotic American will be simply pleased to hear that a woman wants to give birth in the United States, because medicine there is better than Russian, it is more comfortable and safer to do it in the States. When crossing the border, the expectant mother expects the same situation.
How to get a visa yourself
Getting a US visa is very easy if the person meets the requirements. If you have a permanent job (preferably a salary of at least 1-1.5 thousand dollars), some kind of real estate or business, a Schengen visa in the past, then it will not be difficult to get permission. Don’t want to deal with bureaucratic issues on your own, don’t have time or self-confidence? You can contact any company that organizes trips to the States. They will make a hotel reservation, plane tickets and help with filling out the questionnaire.
First you need to make a hotel reservation and tickets. Advance booking can be canceled without any financial loss. Next, you need to fill out a form on the embassy website. Personal data is indicated from the documents, from the reservation you need to take the dates of the trip and the address of the stay in the States. An electronic photo is also required. The sizeshould be 5 x 5, resolution not less than 600 x 600 pixels, not more than 1200 x 1200 pixels, "weight" not more than 240 Kb.
After filling out the questionnaire in electronic form, you need to print out the confirmation and bring it to the Pony Express company. This is the only courier service that is authorized by the US Embassy to receive documents, schedule interviews, and send documents to the applicant. The office will check the printout, schedule an interview, and charge about $140 to review the documents.
You need to come to the interview on the appointed day at the embassy. You need to have a confirmation of the hotel reservation and tickets, as well as documents that can convince the officer that the applicants' intentions do not include immigration to the United States. This can be a certificate from the place of work, study or student ID, papers confirming ownership of the property. The property can be registered in another name, but in this case, a power of attorney is needed to manage and dispose of the property. Well, if the property is on credit. This will convince the officer that the tourists will return back to Russia. It is worth taking with you credit cards and bank statements, documents of relatives (it is very good if there are relatives in Russia to whom those leaving will definitely return). If there were any visas in the old passport, you need to take a photocopy with you.
It is undesirable to apply for the purpose of giving birth abroad alone. Even an unofficially registered marriage is a marriage. After obtaining a visa, the husband can stay in Russia, but it is better to apply together. You need to be prepared to answer questions aboutwhere are you going, why, what hotel will you stay in. If you directly ask a question in childbirth, you can safely answer that the trip is planned just for this. If the pregnancy is not visible (the window through which you talk to the officer is at chest level, so the stomach may not be visible), then when asked about the purpose of the trip, it is better to answer that this is a vacation.
Cost of medical services
The cost of childbirth in the US is different. Much depends on the presence (or absence) of complications, the wishes of the woman, the hospital and the doctor. Mostly they call numbers in the tens of thousands of dollars. In concrete terms, the cost of a conventional birth at a clinic in Miami is $2,000 with a 24-hour stay. Each additional day of stay costs $600, and if two children were born - $825. CS costs almost 4 thousand dollars. A stay of 96 hours is provided. A private room costs $100 per day.
Stay at Memorial Regional Hospital for 48 hours and delivery costs $3,800. Each additional day of stay is $1200. The price does not include medical services. Actually, childbirth costs 3-5 thousand dollars, examination of the child and tests - 200-300 dollars, anesthesia - 700-1000 dollars. In total, other additional costs add another 300-500 dollars. If you give birth at Jackson North Miami Medical Center, the total cost will not exceed $5,000. This includes hospital services, a doctor, and child care.
Birth in Miami can be paid in installments. The pregnant woman arrives after the start of contractions, gives birth andleaves the hospital with the baby. A month later, bills for payment arrive at the specified address. They can be paid immediately and in installments. It all depends on the financial situation and agreements with the hospital. You can take your Russian medical card with you, but it is only of interest to Russian-speaking staff. Most likely, all tests will have to be retaken.
Rental accommodation for the duration of your stay
Travel budget does not consist only of the cost of childbirth in the US. You need to pay for housing for the entire stay, paperwork, tickets, meals and transport. Prices in the US fell with the onset of the crisis. You can rent an apartment from $600 per month. A one- and two-room apartment in the USA within walking distance from the ocean will cost 1300-2500 dollars. All offers for rent and sale of real estate are in a single database. Housing is best sought through a re altor. When looking for an apartment in the US, the agency commission is charged from the owner of the property. It is not possible to rent an apartment before coming to America.
Other travel expenses
In addition to medical care, renting an apartment, paperwork, you need to pay for transportation, tickets to the United States and so on. If you are planning a long stay, it is better to rent a car. The cost of the car will be from $60 per day, but if you rent for a long time, you can find offers from $750 per month. A Russian driver's license is valid in the US for six months. In the future, you can get American. This is an easy procedure. You need to pass an oral test (it is possible with an interpreter) and driving.
Single articleexpenses - tickets Moscow - Miami (or other cities). You can choose flights with transfers - it will turn out cheaper, but it can be difficult for a pregnant woman to fly for so long. Therefore, in most cases it is better to overpay for a direct plane to Miami or another American city. It is better to have permission from a gynecologist with you that a woman can fly.
Documentation after childbirth
The cost of childbirth in the US does not include paperwork for the newborn. At the hospital, you will need to fill out documents for the American birth certificate of the child. The father is entered from the words of the woman. There is a Middle Name column in the questionnaire. It is important that if you do not fill it out, the child will not have a patronymic even in Russian documents. After discharge, you need to go to the Department of He alth and fill out additional paperwork. The card will be sent by mail in a month and a half to the address indicated in the application form.
After receiving the certificate of the child, you need to enter it in the Russian passport. To do this, the received documents must be translated into Russian through a certified translator and sent to the state capital to receive an apostille. After that, you need to enter the child in the parent's passport at the Russian consulate, but usually this procedure is very problematic. There is another way out - you can send or transfer documents with someone to Russia, enter the newborn in the Migration Service at the place of registration, and then transfer the papers back. You can send a passport to Russia from the USA, but you can’t go back. One of the acquaintances or relatives must bring the documents to the States. More oftenall this is done by the father of the child.
Before entering the child in the parent's passport, the newborn must obtain Russian citizenship. To do this, with the passports of both parents you need to come to the consulate. You will need a certificate of the birth of the child and that the parents did not receive US citizenship. But the procedure is very difficult to perform. The hospital does not issue birth certificates, there is no form at the consulate, and only 30 days after the birth are allotted for everything. Therefore, many in the reviews recommend using the original American birth certificate in Russia (with a notarized translation, of course).
Organization of childbirth in the USA through a company
So, if you do the math, US medical costs are not prohibitive for middle-income people. But the child receives American citizenship, the medical care of the woman in labor at the highest level, giving birth is comfortable and safe. You can also use the services of numerous companies offering to save future parents from the hassle. The minimum package of services costs 7 thousand dollars. This amount includes the search for an obstetrician-gynecologist, translation of all documents, support of a Russian-speaking specialist during childbirth, emergency transfer for childbirth, transport support for the client, translator.
The most expensive package costs about 50 thousand dollars. This amount includes consulting support at all stages, assistance in choosing a hospital and a doctor, obtaining invitations from a doctor, consulting trips to prepare for childbirth, providing transport with an accompanying assistant, concluding an agreement witha stem cell preservation company, prenatal management of pregnancy, labor management, medicines, lactation specialist consultation, anesthesia, scheduled visits to doctors after childbirth, registration with a pediatrician, translation of documents, full concierge service, consultations on all issues, excursion service, meeting and seeing off all relatives at the airport and so on. In practice, by the way, some services (for example, consulting a breastfeeding specialist) are provided free of charge in the hospital.
